What Lies Ahead
by i-love-svu
Summary: Sequel to 'Never Again'. Heather begins on the road to recovery with Gil's help It's bound to be bumpy, but will a romance arise from the events? GilLady H
1. The Start Onto A Bumpy Road

**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI.**

**A/N: This is the sequel to 'Never Again'. I hope you like it!**

_**Three Months Later**_

Heather stood by the large oak in the only room in the dominion that was ever almost completely silent; Her office.

The silence was taking her a while to become reacquainted with; While physically recovering, she had been staying with Gil in his home. She hadn't been able to do much for herself so he had offered to take care of her. Her staff had been told she was on vacation and on this first day back, she could see in some of her employee's eyes that they hadn't believed that.

A scream echoed down the hall and into her office, causing Heather to jump. Since the attacked, she had noticed that the slightest noises startled her. No one that worked for her knew about what had happened, so she hoped, and she intended to keep it that way; But the jumping was bound to give her away at some point. Thankfully this time it happened she was alone.

She walked the few feet to her bathroom, her black heeled boots clicking quietly as she did so. She closed the door then fastened the sliding lock.

The only light in the gorgeously decorated room was from the incredibly bright sun. Heather glanced around, marveling at her surrounding; Three months in Grissom's house and she had forgotten what her own bathroom looked like.

Now on her first day back in the dominion, her reaction to the bathroom was similar to the one the first time she had seen it.

Her eyes were widened slightly; She slowly took in everything all over again.

The soft green walls, so heart warming and welcoming. The extremely large bathtub, as big as a small swimming pool; She remembered now why she loved this room. It was so spacious and inviting.

Then she spotted the white and grey marbled sink; Slowly, she made her way towards it. She knew she would have to face her reflection in the large oval mirror hanging above the sink. She didn't want to, but it was time.

The last time she had looked at herself in a mirror, purple and black bruises had been extremely visible on her porcelain skin.

Heather placed her hands palm down on the sink, steadying herself; The cold marble seemed to calm her and she was very thankful for that. The last thing she wanted to do was to go into a fit and have to have one of her staff members quiet her down; It would it expose the very harsh and cruel secret she was keeping from them, and once again, she didn't want that revealed.

With a heavy sigh, she raised her head up and looked into the mirror.

Almost immediately tears welled up in her emerald eyes. The very image of herself made her sick, but she inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times to calm down. Once her heartbeat had resumed to normal, she focused on finding the discolorations. The bruise above her left eye was completely gone, along with the purple bruise that had been on the right side of her face.

She gently brushed her chestnut hair off of her neck; At first, nothing could be seen. But as Heather leaned in a bit closer to the mirror, she spotted a somewhat faded green bruise. Four stick like contusions, tinted a light green, were on the left side of her neck.

Memories came rushing back like a flood.

_He had held her down that way; His hand around her neck, choking her, making her fear what was going to happen next._

Heather shook her head, almost as if erasing the memory from her mind. She released her hair, covering the faint bruising. She spun around so her back was to the mirror; The past month had been a lie.

She had lied to Gil. He had asked her once a day for the past month if she was okay; Each time, she replied yes, fully knowing that she wasn't fine.

Every time Heather had been alone in Gil's house, she had feared whether or not the man that had attacked her would return. It was a plausible fear; That man had not been captured.

And each time Heather took a shower, she scrubbed incessantly at her arms and abdomen, most of the time until her skin was raw and bleeding; It felt as if he was still on her. And to cover up these abrasions, she wore longed sleeved shirts all of the time, not matter the weather.

There was more, but these things alone constituted that she was not fine.

Heather blinked a few times to clear the tears from her eyes; She swallowed hard, then exited the bathroom.

Much to her surprise, Gil was standing by her desk; He looked worried and was hiding something behind his back.

"Hi. Is something wrong?" Heather inquired. She gestured for Gil to take a seat; He refused with a solemn look on his face.

"Yes. What's this?"

He extended his hand, revealing a blood stained wash cloth.

Heather lowered her head. She had known that sooner or later, Gil would have caught on. She just hadn't suspected it to be this very day.

"I'm sorry," She whispered. Tears spilled over her eyelids, sliding down her cheeks. She reached up and quickly wiped them away.

Gil walked around the desk and knelt by her. His heart was pounding manically; He felt horrible that he hadn't caught on earlier that she was not all right.

"Heather, I want to help you. I honestly do; But you have be ready to help yourself," He softly replied.

She looked up at him; They held each other's gaze for a moment, then she slowly nodded.

"Good. Let's get you home."

Heather obediently stood up and allowed Gil to take her arm. She didn't catch onto the fact that Gil had just referred to his home as their home.

She also didn't care where he took her; She just needed to be near him.

_**Later That Night**_

Gil was seated on the couch in his living room; Heather was next to him, her eyes closed but she wasn't asleep.

He had planned to simply sit and listen to anything she had to say.

"I… I don't know where to start," She told him.

She didn't want to talk about the evening she had been attacked; In fact, anything but that night would have been appropriate. But the evening her life had been put on hold wasn't something she wanted to discuss.

"Anywhere you want. We can talk about anything, Heather. Whatever you want."

Heather sighed deeply; Her tears were threatening to fall at any moment and she did not want him to see her cry again.

"I'll admit, I'm not okay; That's very clear. But I don't know how to help myself," She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

Gil nodded slowly. "Okay. What would you say about visiting a psychiatrist?"

Heather considering this option for a moment. "W-would that help me?"

"I don't know. Some psychiatrists specialize in… victims such as yourself," Gil replied.

Heather saw for the first time; It was evident in his eyes. He was uncomfortable around her. Had she not noticed it before? Or had she seen in, and had chosen to ignore it?

The bigger question was why was he uncomfortable?

"Is it awkward to be around me?" Heather asked.

Gil furrowed his brows; He didn't want to confess that he felt a bit odd around her. Not because of anything she had done, but because she didn't want to make her uncomfortable in any way. He wanted her to feel welcome, but at the same time he wanted her to know he wouldn't let his feelings show. He loved her; But she couldn't know. Not right this moment, anyway.

"No. I mean, a little, but… no, it's not," Gil mumbled.

"Why?"

"It's complicated."

"I have all night," Heather shot back. Her emotions were visible through her eyes; Anger and confusion.

"I can't tell you; Not now. Please, let's just get back to what we started," Gil half pleaded.

"No! I'm sick of being excluded from everything because I was raped!" Heather shouted.

After yelling this statement, she gasped. For the first time, she had said it aloud. She had been raped. It wasn't a nightmare she couldn't get out of her mind; It had really happened.

One tear fell from each eye; She knew that had been the first step to healing. Acknowledging what had happened; And whether it was true or her mind was playing tricks on her, she felt slightly better.

Heather didn't attempt to stop the tears that were falling; The few inches between her and Gil were closed as she collapsed into his arms. He stroked her hair as she sobbed, then a thought crossed his mind that made him see that this meeting of sorts hadn't been fruitless.

The healing had begun.


	2. Morning Surprise

Heather quickly opened her eyes and looked at the alarm clock next to her bed; It was almost 9 o'clock. She had only slept for two hours.

Gil had spent the night up with her. She had talked about the attack and about everything she had bottled up during the past three months; And it had honestly made her feel good.

And sometime during the course of the night, Gil had carried Heather upstairs; Then he had gone back down to the living room to sleep on the couch.

Even though Heather hadn't gotten much sleep, she felt okay. She flipped the covers and stood up from the bed. She stumbled to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair before going downstairs to thank Gil.

In the bathroom, Heather took her shirt off to change into a different one. As she turned to pull her shirt off of the back of the door, she spotted something on her arm.

She turned to see herself fully in the mirror; A red spot on her arm, one of the spots she had scrubbed until it had bled, was seen. She hadn't realized how bad she had injured herself. The skin was red and scabbed but not painful. How could she have done that to herself?

Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks but she calmed herself; She couldn't allow herself to cry again.

Heather gathered herself and slipped the new shirt on, covering her injuries.

She wasn't sure what to say to Gil; Of course, thanking him seemed appropriate, but was it enough? Heather didn't want to seem unthankful for his help.

Thinking, she strode out of the room, down the hall and down the stairs.

"Gil?" Heather called out, not wanting to be startled by him.

"In the living room."

Heather continued to the living room to find Gil seated on the couch. He looked tired, much more so than usual.

"I want to thank you. Not only for offering to help me, but for helping me last night."

"No problem at all," Gil smiled, standing up from the couch. "Are you hungry?"

Heather shook her head no. She knew she needed to eat, in order to keep her blood sugar where it was supposed to be, but she wasn't hungry.

"Okay. I have to get to work; I'm going in early to sort out some paperwork; But if you need anything, call me right away."

Gil grinned at the dominatrix once before leaving the room; When reached the large front door, he glanced back again as he walked out.

The door snapped shut and much to her surprise, Heather didn't jump.

A small grin appeared on her face as she spotted a package lying on the coffee table; It was wrapped in green tissue paper, her favorite color, and a red bow was tied around it.

The color scheme reminded her of Christmas; It was a good feeling, especially when she saw her name was scribbled onto a card which was tucked beneath the bow, not completely hidden yet not entirely showing its self.

She sat down on the couch and pulled the package into her lap; Then tugged the card away to read it.

'_Heather,_

_Hopefully this will help you. If not, let me know and I'll find something that will. –Grissom'_

Heather was now a bit puzzled; What in the world could it be?

She flipped the package over and opened it carefully, not ripping the tissue paper; It was simply a habit she had, one she'd tried many times to break but had been unable.

As she moved the paper to the side, a book was now held in her hands. It was titled 'Help For Victims'.

Heather felt her eyebrow go up; This was his idea of help? A book?

She leant back on the couch and opened the book; Much to her surprise, the book was helpful from chapter one. She didn't get up until the whole thing had been read.

Heather was also a bit shocked to find that this book described some of the things rape victims might go through; Scrubbing at certain spots of their bodies, fear of the opposite sex and nightmares, just to name a few.

Heather wasn't scared of Gil; In fact, she felt better when he was around. She felt protected, like nothing bad could ever happen while he was around. She liked that feeling.

With a sigh she dropped the book onto the table and stood up, card still in hand; She paced the room, just thinking about everything that was currently in her life. That was something she hadn't done in a while.

The big thing in her life right now was getting on the road to healing; Of course, after reading the book Gil had given her, she realized she would never heal completely. She had suspected that a for a while and now that her suspicions had been confirmed, she wasn't sure what to do next now that that had been discovered.

Sighing again, Heather sat back down on the couch. She decided to sit there for a moment, just relaxing, then she'd go find something that needed done. Until then, relaxing was the best policy.

_**Las Vegas Crime Lab, Gil Grissom's Office**_

Gil was seated at his desk inside of his office; Entomology books, folders and paper were spread in front of him. Even though he was supposed to be filling out paperwork, he couldn't help but let his mind drift to Heather.

Surely she had opened the book he had left for her by now. He had expected her to call; And it was just because he wanted to hear her voice.

It was becoming obvious to himself that hiding his love for Heather wasn't working out very well. Before long, she would find out about his secret; It scared him to think about how she might handle it.

He didn't want to lose her again; He couldn't bear to lose her again. But what would she say when she found out that the man who had deserted her for years was in love with her?

And what would Heather say, or think, when she found out that he had been in love with when he had deserted her?

The thoughts were overwhelming, so Gil dropped his pen and reclined back in his chair. Just when he had gotten comfortable, a knock came from the door.

"Grissom! Please let me in!"

"It's unlocked, Greg," The older of the men called.

Greg burst into the room; His hair was crazier than ever. At this moment, it was standing almost completely on end, making it stand up about 3 inches above his head.

"What is it Greg?"

"It's huge news!"

Today, the youngest of the CSI team seemed to annoy Gil faster and more.

"Once again, what is it?"

Greg paused for a moment to catch his breath. It was beginning to seriously piss Gil off. Just when he was about to get up and smack Greg, the younger man answered.

"We identified Heather's attacker."


	3. Confirmed

Gil sat up in his seat. They had found him? The man who had taken the Heather he had known away?

"Who is he?" He demanded. He was going to take care of the bastard himself.

"B-Brass told me not to tell you! But he said you can ride along," Greg stammered. The poor lab tech was already frightened of his boss most of the time; It didn't help his nerves that Gil now had an evil look in his eyes.

"Tell me the name," Gil said once again; This time, his voice was clear and deep. He looked on the verge of severely injuring Greg but thankfully for the younger CSI, Captain Brass appeared in the doorway.

"Are you coming with us?" Brass inquired; He glanced at Greg, then at Gil and saw the obvious tension that seemed to be oozing from Greg.

"Yes."

"Don't think for one minute that you are going to interfere with this interrogation at all. Do you understand?" Brass pointed his right index finger warningly at Gil.

With that said, the three men walked from the room in silence. Gil wanted so badly to injure the man that had attacked Heather. But if he wanted to keep his job, he would have to control himself.

_**The Residence of Mr. Andy Marcus**_

Detective Jim Brass knocked steadily three times on the faded door to Andy Marcus' house. It was a one story home, painted white with green trim around the windows. A single hedge occupied the empty space below the large picture window that showed into the living room.

It seemed like a typical home to him; But then again, some of the scariest weirdoes he had captured had lived in homes like this one.

The front door opened, capturing Brass' attention back.

"Yeah?" The tall, muscled man asked in a deep voice.

"Andy Marcus?"

"Yeah."

"We need to come in."

After eyeing each of the men on his doorstep, the man inside the house opened the door; Brass stepped in first, followed by Greg and then Gil.

Gil caught Andy's eye as he walked by; He had to resist the urge to tackle in him right then.

"What do you need?" Andy asked.

"Your DNA… and an alibi," Brass replied, glancing at Gil; He could see a vein in his colleague's neck beginning to protrude. Maybe this hadn't been the best idea.

"Why do you need an alibi?" The man before him inquired.

Brass noticed he didn't seem at all worried that his DNA was needed.

"A woman was attacked three months ago; Your DNA was found inside of her and we want to be one-hundred percent sure it was you before we haul you off to jail," Brass retorted.

Andy appeared visibly shaken and trying to find an alibi; Two minutes passed and Brass had had enough.

"Okay. You're coming down to the station with us."

Even though Andy was taller and obviously more fit than Brass, the older of the men was able to lead him out of the house and to the car. Greg and Gil stayed behind for a moment.

"You know, that was really brave of you," Greg suddenly squeaked, looking over at Gil.

"What was?"

"You standing here in the same room with the man who attacked Lady Heather; It was obvious you wanted to hit him, but you didn't. That was very admirable of you," Greg proudly announced.

He walked to the door, then looked back at Gil expectantly; With a nod, Gil followed the younger man out the door.

_**Las Vegas Crime Lab; Interrogation Room Number 3**_

"Again, where were you that night?" Brass asked Andy Marcus.

This was the third time he had repeated the question; Each time before Andy had avoided the question and Brass was beginning to get pissed off.

Andy slammed his fists down on the table, his face growing red with anger; Brass didn't flinch.

"I told you I don't remember! It was three months ago!" The suspect shouted.

Greg, who was leaning against the wall in the corner, blinked his eyes twice to substitute for his flinching. Every so often a suspect did scare him, but he had gotten to the point where it didn't show, as much, anymore.

"You need to calm down. Now, about that DNA sample…" Brass sighed. "Are you gonna take the easy road or the hard road?"

Andy shifted his eyes from Greg to Brass, then rolled up his shirt sleeve; Brass signaled for Greg to take the sample.

After that had been done, Greg and Brass left the room; An officer stood outside the door, just to make sure the suspect didn't try anything. Brass doubted that Andy would have, officer or not.

"Hey! Guys," A lab tech, whom Greg hadn't been introduced to yet, approached them. "Brass and Sanders?"

"Yeah. What've you got for us?" Jim stopped walking to hear what the newest lab rat had to say.

"Andy Marcus? Definitely your guy."

The woman who had just confirmed this was Heather's rapist walked away from the two men. Jim was the first to speak.

"You, go and tell the officer to arrest Marcus," He instructed Greg.

The younger man nodded for a moment, then looked confused.

"Where are you going?"

Brass sighed once before answering, "To tell Grissom."


	4. Identify

"Yes?" Heather's strong voice asked into the phone.

At one in the afternoon, she had just started her afternoon tea when the telephone had rang; Something in the pit of her stomach told her it was Gil as she answered.

"Heather, I need you to come down to the station."

He tried to disguise the emotions in his voice; Worry, anger, fear. The things he felt had nothing to do with his feelings toward Heather; But he knew that after identifying her attacker, she would spiral into another breakdown. And seeing her cry broke his heart more than words could describe.

"Why?" She inquired. Not that it mattered; She was anxious to get out of the house; Two days back to the dominion and the worried whispers of her employees had begun to drive her insane.

"We need you… to identify your attacker," Gil informed the woman on the other end of the line.

It was silent for a few moments as Heather considered what to do. She was a smart woman, and knew that identifying the man who had assaulted her would further the crime lab's chances of getting a conviction; They must have built up a strong case already, but her identification of the man would almost guarantee a guilty verdict.

"I will be there in a just a little while."

Heather pressed the 'end' button, hot tears stinging her eyes. She wasn't sure if she could identify him; It wasn't that she had forgotten what he looked like. She was sure the image of him would be forever etched into her mind.

But could she look at him without losing it in front of whoever else would be in the room? It was unlikely, but she had to try.

With a sigh, Heather snatched her keys off of the dark table she was standing next to and walked to the front door; Upon reaching it, she let her tears fall. She desperately wanted to collapse to the floor and sob until she could no longer, but she couldn't allow herself.

There would be time for that later.

**_Las Vegas Crime Lab, Viewing Line-Up Room_**

Heather stood alone outside of the door to the room she would be identifying her attacker in; She had wanted Gil to be here with her, but the lawyer who was handling the case had explained something about that couldn't be done because Gil knew what the man looked like and therefore the other lawyer wouldn't want him anywhere near Heather; Basically so he couldn't remind her what the man looked like.

Heather had scoffed at that statement and mentioned that she was pretty sure she hadn't forgotten what the bastard looked like. The female lawyer had smiled sympathetically at the dominatrix then had entered the room, informing Heather that she would be called into the room in a moment.

A large uniformed man opened the door before Heather and said her name; She thought this was odd considering she was the only one in the hall but she stepped forward.

The man stepped backward to allow room for her to enter the room; Once she was inside, he closed the door with a thud, making her jump slightly. Three other people were in the room; Two lawyers, one of which she had already met and a female standing by the one-way mirror. She was brunette, tall and slender, with a face that showed she wasn't playing games.

"Miss Kessler, this will be very easy. Each man will step forward, one at a time, so you can get a good look at them. Then after they have all done that, you will need to identify which one attacked you," The officer boomed. His voice made Heather feel like the walls around her were crumbling; She managed to nod at what he had said.

"Okay. You can go stand by the window; That's Sara Sidle, with the crime lab; She'll be testifying at the trial and has to be here, it's just standard protocol," The man continued as Heather walked over to stand next to Sara.

Both women exchanged glances, but no words. Something seemed to be upsetting the brunette standing next to Heather, but whatever it was couldn't be seen.

The officer stepped into the room overlooking the room seen through the one-way mirror. He said something to the men walking into the room, but it was inaudible from this side of the room. After the men had formed a line, they began stepping forward one at a time.

Heather focused at the task before her; By the time the third man had taken his turn, she was beginning to lose her hope. But suddenly, when the fourth man stepped into the light, she recognized him.

His glare was cold, eyes fixed on the mirror before him; Almost as if he could see Heather. She felt the sick feeling rising from her stomach, but fought it off long enough to tell the people in the room that was him.

"I-it's him. He's the one…"

Heather felt her chest tighten; Her breathing became erratic and she felt nearly ready to pass out. She had to get out of the room.

With a gasp, she dropped her purse, spun around and ran from the room; Warm tears were running down her cheeks as she sprinted into the bathroom. She threw open the nearest stall door, entered and emptied the contents of her stomach.

Heather then collapsed to the floor; Her chest heaved with each breath as she struggled to return her breathing to normal. She had lost her control; That man had taken it away and who knew when she would get it back?

She closed her eyes and titled her head backward, so it was resting against one of the stall walls. The door to the restroom opened, someone walked in and knelt beside Heather. She did not open her eyes.

"Miss Kessler?" A soft voice asked.

Heather sighed before opening her eyes; It was Sara, from the line-up room.

"Are you alright?" Sara asked again.

"I'm okay."

Heather slowly pushed herself up off of the ground; She walked to the sink and rinsed her mouth out, trying to keep herself from collapsing again.

"Well, Grissom's right outside the door. Do you want me to send him in?" Sara inquired. She watched the dominatrix as she nodded, not wanting to speak again.

Sara opened the restroom door then motioned for Gil to come in; He did so, nodding at Sara as she left.

"Heather? What's wrong?" He asked her. She was leaning against the sink with her head lowered; Her shoulders shook as her sobs became audible.

Gil rushed to her side; He gently wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried. It appeared that they were back to square one.


	5. Starting Over

Gil sighed quietly as he watched Heather sleep; It was now 10:27. She had been asleep for nearly twelve hours, but he had no intentions of waking her. If she was sleeping good, then he would let her rest; She deserved it.

The night before, after she had fallen asleep, he had walked the few feet to her office and taken a chair. He had guessed that night would be a difficult one; His instincts had proven correct. Heather had woken up, screaming, during the night; Gil had been sitting in that chair fully knowing it was bound to happen sooner or later. And both times he had stroked her cold hand until she was calm enough to fall back asleep.

Her screams had frightened Gil; They were desperate, crying out for someone to stop her nightmare. After Heather had stopped screaming the first time, she hadn't said a word. She had simply laid back down on the bed, the stray hairs from her ponytail sticking to her face, and had tried to soothe herself.

Gil now sat looking back at the brunette, silently beating himself up; He should have asked her what she needed. Maybe there could have been more he could have done. But then again, he was there to hold her hand; To help her get through this; Still…

Gil hadn't fallen asleep once. He wanted to be awake and alert for whenever Heather woke up; Both times her screams had terrified him so much there was no way he could have fallen asleep, and nor did he want to.

Heather's breathing noticeably increased; Her frantic gasps for breath startled Gil. He was just about to wake her up from the nightmare when she rolled over and revealed that she was already awake.

Her emerald eyes puffy and bloodshot; A few strands of hair still remained stuck to her face. It was obvious she had been crying, whether in her sleep or otherwise was undeterminable to Gil, but very understandable.

"I don't feel so well," She immediately blurted. Gil stood up from the chair and walked to the doorway.

"I'll make you some soup."

Heather tossed the covers back, jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. He cringed as he heard her vomit; He was almost positive the mention of soup had made her sick, making him feel bad.

A moment later, Heather emerged from the bathroom with her arms crossed over her chest. She was pale and her head was lowered.

"Heather?"

"Mmm?" She crawled back into her back, pulling the covers up over her head; She didn't want to be seen. She wanted to be left alone but knowing Gil, that would never happen.

"What do you need me to do?" He took one step into the room, a determined look covering his face.

Heather was surprised by this statement; He was asking _her_ what to do? Slowly, she turned the covers down from her face.

"I don't know. Do whatever you want. I'm sleeping all day," Heather replied. She closed her eyes hoping he would leave; Much to her dismal, Gil's footsteps could be heard nearing her bed.

He paused at the foot of her bed. He wasn't sure what to do; He was sure, however, that Heather's lying in bed wasn't a good sign. But he wasn't about to interfere. If that was what she wanted to do, then he had no right to stop her.

"Fine. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

He walked out of the room with a sigh. 'Maybe it's what she needs to start back on the road to healing,' He thought.

Heather listened to Gil's footsteps disappear down the stairs; When they could no longer be heard, she threw the covers off once again and tiptoed into the bathroom.

She closed and locked the door, then turned the shower on; Her clothes lay in a heap on the floor as she stepped into the steamy shower. The hot water stung her body, but only for a minute; After that, the warmth seemed to wash away her pain.

It was surprising, and when she stepped out of the shower nearly an hour later, she felt ready to take on the world. She dried off and put on fresh clothes, then walked out of the room with her head held high.

Gil was seated in the living room, an Entomology book held in his hand. He heard footsteps on the stairs and dropped his book to see if it was Heather, even though he knew it was.

She sighed as she spotted him. "Did you ever call that psychologist?"

Gil stopped walking to the stairs. She was ready to see a shrink?

"No, not yet. I can right now if you'd like."

Heather nodded twice as she descended the rest of the way down the stairs. Her hair was damp, and she didn't look nearly as pale, Gil noticed as he walked to the kitchen to use the telephone.

While she waited for him to complete the call, Heather sat down on the bottom stair; She dropped her head into her hands. Why had she allowed herself to lie for so long, saying she was okay when really she was the farthest thing from it?

Never before had she felt do vulnerable and powerless; It wasn't a good feeling and she wished it would just go ago. But she knew it wouldn't; Not until she would accept help from others. She could no longer go on being completely independent upon herself; It was a harsh reality, but one she understood.

"Your first appointment is the 19th of next week, at one o'clock; She said you can be early if you feel like it," Gil announced as he returned from the kitchen; A yellow slip of paper was held in his hand. Heather knew it was most likely the information the psychologist that he had written down so neither of them would forget.

"Thank you," Heather stood up, her arms dangling loosely at her sides.

"You're welcome. It was no trouble at all."

Something clicked in her mind; Not only had Gil stayed with her during her stay in the hospital, making sure she got whatever she needed, but he had also welcomed her into his home. He had taken care of her there; In fact, he was the only man she had ever known that had ever taken care of her. Exceptional care; That meant something, she was sure of it.

Gil had also offered to help her through everything; He had been there after Zoe's death, and now he was here helping her through yet another crisis. He cared enough to stay with her not only once, but three times.

"No, I mean, thank you for everything. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it," Heather considered a few things in her head. She wanted to kiss him; It was something she had never admitted to herself. But she was afraid of how he might react; And what effect it would have on her.

"Heather, I swear it was no trouble at all," Gil smiled briefly at her. He could tell she was thinking hard about something; But he couldn't seem to figure out what it was. "Are you hungry?"

Heather swallowed once; She could already feel the tears welling up behind her eyes, for what reason she didn't know. 'You'll never know how he feels unless you try,' She told herself.

With a sharp inhale, Heather took a step in front of him; And she did as she had wanted to.

She kissed him.


	6. Two Confessions

Their lips touched for a moment, a very brief moment; Almost instantly upon that touch, horrible images flashed in her mind from the night of the attack.

She pulled back quickly; Gil's expression was obvious shock. He had no idea what to say. She had just done what he had wanted to for years.

"I'm sorry," Heather mumbled. She ran up around him and up the stairs, her hand clamped over her mouth. Once inside her room, she shut and locked the door; She was shocked she had kissed him.

She let herself fall to her floor; A feeling unlike any other she had ever experience took over her body. For once a man who really cared had entered her life; She felt she had jeopardized everything by kissing him.

Heather pulled her knees to her chest and rest her head upon them. She wanted to climb into her bed and cry herself to sleep, but didn't have the energy to do so.

A knock came from the door behind her, causing her to jump.

"Heather, open the door please," Gil asked from the other side of the oak door.

"Leave me alone."

Gil tried the doorknob; Locked. He knocked on the door again.

"Heather. Please let me in?"

Heather didn't answer. She gathered herself and her energy for a moment, then stood up from the floor, walking slowly to the bed; She collapsed onto it with a sigh. Did she dare let him in? She had already kissed him; What could he possibly say to make her feel any worse?

"Turn the knob to the left really hard," Heather instructed, not moving from the bed.

She watched the doorknob as Gil followed her instructions; A moment later, the door slowly swung open. Gil's face was a little pale, and his hands were clasped together in front of him; Not something he usually did.

"About that… I-I'm sorry," Heather apologized; She glanced briefly at Gil but then refocused her attention to the ceiling. She couldn't look at him; For some reason, she assumed he was thinking ill of her.

"I don't know what to say."

Silence fell between the two; The house was completely quiet, furthering the awkwardness between them.

"Why… why did you kiss me?" Gil asked. He dropped his arms to his sides, then lowered his eyes. He was incredibly confused by what had happened downstairs.

"I don't know," Heather lied. "I just… I don't know."

Gil walked to her bed and after thinking for a moment, he sat down on the bed. Heather didn't even glance over at him; Her eyes stayed fixated on the ceiling, with no intentions of looking anywhere else.

Now that she had begun to think it over, kissing Gil was stupid and irrational; He didn't love her. He was simply helping her get through everything she was going through. It was one of the dumbest she had ever done, in her mind; Little did she know it had been just the thing to make Gil admit his feelings for her.

"Heather, look at me," A slight begging tone shone through in his voice; Heather sighed as she tore her eyes away from the ceiling to look at him. He could see she was already near crying which was going to make it difficult to say what he needed to, but it had to be done.

"This is going to sound completely cliché and unoriginal but without more time this is the best I can do. Heather, I love you; It became very clear to me a few years ago, after I stayed with you after Zoe's death, but I didn't have the guts to tell you. So I'm doing it now."

"You don't have to say anything," Gil continued. He was nervously pulling a the skin on his hands. "Or even acknowledge this; You don't have to agree with anything I say, but I need you to know that I love you."

He sighed; He had waited nearly seven years to tell her that. Once again, silence fell between them. Heather contemplated whether or not to tell Gil that she shared these feelings; Of course, things would most likely be less awkward between them if he knew she did. Or would they? She was as confused as him.

"I… Alright, since you told me that; I love you too. Guess we're both a bit cliché today, huh?"

Gil looked over at Heather; Their eyes met for the first time in a while. Neither looked away. And then, again for the first time in a long time, Heather smiled.

"Guess so. But if we're happy, that's all that matters," Gil answered. Their gaze broke as Heather looked out the window at the bright day. She felt incredible; She hadn't felt so amazing in over four months.

"Let's go have some tea," She smiled, getting off of the bed.

"I'll see you downstairs."

Gil stood up and left the room, a smile present on his face; They both loved each other. No matter how he tried, the shock and happiness from hearing she felt the same way would not leave his mind.

Heather walked into her bathroom, brushed her hair and teeth, then set off to go downstairs. Upon reaching the bottom stair, a smile appeared on her face; She had told Gil about her feelings, and he hadn't left. He was still here, waiting for her to point out the next step; Whether that next step was in their… relationship, or in her recovery, she wasn't sure. It didn't matter.

"Gil?" She called, looking around to see where he had gone.

"Out here!"

Heather walked through the living room out to the large patio; He was sitting at the table with a teapot, two cups, and everything else needed to enjoy a good cup of tea.

"I hope this is okay," Gil stated as she got closer. The smile was still on his face, as Heather's was on hers.

"It's fine," She replied, sitting down across from him. A moment later, something occurred to her.

'At this very moment, everything is.'


	7. Relaxing And A Surprise

**A/N: Final Chapter. Hope you like it. :)**

* * *

**Four Months Later**

Heather stared up at the starry sky. She was lying outside on the lighted patio, reclining in a white lounge chair. Her hair was tied back into a loose ponytail and a smile was on her face. For the first time in nearly eight months, she was outside, alone, and she wasn't afraid. So much healing had gone on during the previous four months that she was able to do a lot by herself, without being nearly as afraid as she had been before she started seeing a psychiatrist.

Like being outside alone. It was a very big step for Heather. She had to have all of the outside lights on and be seated close to the house in order to feel safe, but it didn't matter. She felt good, being able to do things without that sense of overwhelming fear present in her mind.

A happy sigh escaping her lips was the only sound that could be heard, apart from the gentle sounds of the water from the pool crashing against the cement.

Heather returned to her thoughts with a grin. The other thing that had been going on, her relationship with Gil.

No matter how sappy or lovesick it sounded, the two were practically inseparable. Gil was constantly at the dominion, either picking her up from a date or, when she didn't feel like leaving her home, he would stay there with her. Since the sounds of the domineering going on inside the house weren't something Heather had grown used to again, they frequently spent their time outside. By the pool or on the lawn, under the shade of one of the many Willow trees, the two would talk or be silent and just enjoy the other's company.

It came as a shock to her when Gil remembered her birthday. He had prepared breakfast in bed for her, consisting of her favorite breakfast foods: A banana, orange juice, a blueberry muffin and pancakes.

As shocked as she had been upon receiving the treat, he had been more stunned that Heather could eat so much. That day she had finished everything that had been brought to her and then asked for seconds. She had only had such a large appetite because, and she remembered this very clearly, the day before her birthday had been one of the days where she hadn't felt like eating. So she had made up for it the next day.

It sometimes surprised her how well Gil treated her. She wasn't used to being treated that well. The few men from her past had never even come close to measuring up to Gil. She had never felt this way in her life, but it was a very nice and welcome feeling.

"Heather?" Gil's voice echoed throughout the empty house.

She had given her girls the night off, ensuring that no one but Gil and herself would be home. She had grown tired of her employee's stares. They didn't expect a dominatrix to be with a man like Gil, a scientist. So after putting up with the gazes, she had decided the two deserved a night without the girls whispering about the couple.

"Out here!"

Gil smiled as he walked out to the patio. Heather's chestnut hair gleamed in the night lights. Her back was to him, but he was almost positive there was a smile on her face. Each day she had one on when she greeted him in the morning and each night when she saw him off.

"Enjoying yourself?" He inquired, bending down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. With a grin, Gil pulled a chair up next to her and sat down. He kicked his shoes off, revealing perfectly white socks. For some reason, this made Heather giggle, but it must have been inaudible to Gil, for he was still awaiting her answer.

"Very much so. How was your day?"

"Not bad. But I'm so glad to be here with you, sitting by the pool," He smiled at the woman next to him. Blush now tinted her porcelain, as she grinned back at him.

Neither spoke for a few minutes. They both just happy being in each other's presence.

Heather fiddled with the skin on her palms. She wanted to talk, but about what?

"Oh, by the way, Catherine Willows called me today. I remember meeting her, she was very nice. A lot of cheering was going on in the background, something about and I quote 'Bug Man finally landed himself a chick'?" Heather looked over at Gil with a smile.

He seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment, but quickly recovered. "The cheering was probably my team. I suppose Greg said that, he's a bit hyper. They make bets frequently on the weirdest things. Don't mind them, they're just trying to take each other's money," He replied, trying not to sound embarrassed by the people working for him.

Truth was, he wasn't embarrassed them. He was quite proud that he had such an established team working for him. But sometimes, it was clear that they were a bit off in the head.

"No, I don't mind."

Silence, again. Heather focused on reading Gil's body language. He seemed nervous, like he had something to say but wasn't ready. It was odd, especially coming from him.

"Heather," Gil started. "I want ask you something. But before I do, I want you to understand a few things."

Heather leaned forward very slightly, waiting for him to continue. So she had been right. He did have something to say. She racked her mind trying to figure out what it could be.

Gil pulled something out of the pocket on his shirt. Heather couldn't see what it was right away. Then he moved his hands from blocking her view, revealing a black velvet box.

She inhaled sharply, sitting up straighter as she did so.

"With this proposal, I do not expect you to make a decision right this moment. If you want to think about it, it's alright with me," He paused to open the box.

A diamond ring shone brightly in the light. It was a gorgeous ring and Heather noted that Gil had excellent taste. Then she turned her attention back to Gil.

"And if you don't want to, just say so. I will understand. This may seem like a rash decision, but I swear, I felt like it was now or never," Gil paused again, taking a deep breath. He moved from his chair, getting down on one knee.

Heather could feel the warm tears trickling down her cheeks. Never before had she ever even considered marrying anyone.

But now that the thought of marrying Gil had entered her mind, it seemed like the right thing to do. She didn't know why the thought hadn't crossed her mind before.

"Heather, will you marry me?"

It took her a minute to gather herself, but once composed, Heather smiled at the man kneeling before her.

"Yes. Yes, I will."

Gil and Heather stood up at the same time. He gently pulled her toward him, and kissed her with much more passion than ever before.

When the two separated, a large smile appeared on Heather's face. "So… what do we do now?"

Gil shrugged, unaware of what people normally do after proposing. He looked at Heather with a smile. He suddenly knew what she was going to suggest.

"How about tea?"

"Sounds perfect. Tea for two. I couldn't think of a better plan," Gil answered.

The two retreated into the house, Gil's arm around Heather's shoulder and she was resting her head on his arm. Neither had been happier in their entire lives.

And neither wanted it any other way.


End file.
